For Online Marketplace Sellers

Our company provides comprehensive import services for goods from China, including: logistics via various modes of transport, product marking with the "Honest SIGN" system, import under our importer entity, certification and customs declaration of goods, and access to a trading house with an export license in China.

Yes, legal import is more expensive and complex than “cargo” schemes—but it is the only sustainable path for a legitimate business. Every entrepreneur must weigh the short-term savings against the real risk of retroactive tax assessments, fines, account freezes, or even criminal prosecution.

At Freight Services, we specialize in helping online sellers transition from informal “cargo” imports to fully compliant, legal supply chains. We understand how overwhelming customs regulations, labeling, certification, and VAT rules can seem—and we break them down into clear, actionable steps.

By partnering with our company, you can avoid common importer mistakes and focus on growing your business.

Note to sellers

As is widely known, many marketplace sellers in Russia have historically relied on so-called “cargo delivery” (informal parcel forwarding) as a means of importing goods. While often perceived as cheap and fast, this method is illegal—in essence, it constitutes smuggling: goods are brought into the country either without customs declaration or with false or incomplete declarations regarding their nature, value, or quantity.

In today’s environment—marked by federal budget constraints and intensified government efforts to identify new revenue sources—the Russian authorities have launched a coordinated initiative involving the Federal Tax Service (FTS) and the Federal Customs Service (FCS) to detect and penalize unlawful imports.

It is important to note the following provisions of the legislation:

Article 2 of the EAEU

Defines the illegal movement of goods across the customs border of the Union, including:

false declaration;
non-declaration of goods;
use of counterfeit or false documents.

Article 56 of the EAEU

The obligation to pay customs duties and taxes arises:

in persons who illegally move goods;
in persons participating in illegal movement;
in persons who acquired illegally imported goods, if they knew or should have known about the illegality of the import.

Procedure for payment of customs duties and taxes.

In the event of illegal movement of goods across the customs border of the Union, customs duties and taxes shall be paid in the amount established for the relevant customs procedures:

when importing goods into the customs territory of the Union — under the customs procedure for release for domestic consumption without applying tariff preferences and benefits for payment of import customs duties and taxes.

Limitation period

Statute of limitations: 3 years..

Thus, if illegal movement of goods across the EAEU border is detected, even possession of formal documents from the cargo carrier (who, by that time, as the responsible party, has disappeared) will not exempt the actual owner of the goods from the obligation to pay customs duties and taxes on goods imported over the past three years.

It is also advisable to review the applicable liability measures: Article 16 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses (CAO) and Article 194 of the Russian Criminal Code (CC).

Currently, a national system for confirming anticipated goods (SPOT) is being prepared for implementation in accordance with the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation dated November 10, 2025 No. 3213-r. Key aspects of the system include the obligation for both the Buyer from the Russian Federation and the Seller from the EAEU to submit information on planned goods imports, accompanied by an advance payment of VAT (an indirect tax) at 22% of the goods value starting in 2026.

The submitted goods information and the subsequent movement of these goods along the sales chain will be analyzed by the Federal Tax Service (FTS) and the Federal Customs Service (FCS) to verify consistency—for example, when shoelaces are imported from an EAEU member state but later sold through a chain of counterparties as premium boots or laptops.